On Top of the World - Page 2

“By far the best part of Leadville is the support I get from my family and friends,” says Tiernan, who grew up in Aspen, Colorado, not far from Leadville. “The spirit of my crew is contagious and it helps fuel me from aid station to aid station.”

Clark, who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, finished third in 17:11:15.

Tina Lewis of Boulder, Colorado, executed a similarly thrilling race strategy, passing eventual second-place finisher Liza Howard late in the race and holding a narrow lead: both runners were in the Fish Hatchery aid station, near mile 76, at the same time.

"I was running a lot of the race by myself, so there was no pressure; no one was pushing me," says Lewis. "I passed Liza before Half Moon [aid station], but she stayed on my heels. After that I just tried to hold onto the lead and I had no idea how far back she was."

Lewis continues, "I had stomach problems, I was throwing up and I was hyperventilating from Fish Hatchery to the finish." That did not stop her, however, from pulling away to win by over an hour with a time of 19:33:45.

Howard of San Antonio, Texas, held on to finish second in 20:44:08. Ashley Nordell of Sisters, Oregon, was third in 20:47:58. Aliza Lapierre of Williston, Vermont, fell to fourth after leading during the early stages of the race, finishing in 21:14:32.